Pneumatic gun and operating mechanism



Nb Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet 1.

R. J. GATLING. I PNEUMATIG GUN AND OPERATING MECHANISM. No. 427.848.

Patented May 13, 1890,

(No Model.) I 2 SheetS-Sheet 2.

R. J. GATLING. PNEUMATIC GUN AND OPERATING MECHANISM.

No. 427,848. Patented'May 13, 1890.

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UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

RICHARD J. GATLING, OF HARTFORD, CONNECTICUT.

PNEUMATIC GUN AND OPERATING MECHANISM.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 427,848, dated May 13, 1890. Application filed June 20, 1889- Serial No. 314,959 (No model.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, RICHARD J. GATLING, a citizen of the United States, residing at Hartford, in the county of Hartford and State of Connecticut, have invented new and useful Improvements in Pneumatic Guns and Operating Mechanism, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to improvements in the construction of pneumatic guns, the object being to provide an improved gun of this description for torpedo-boats, ships, or shore defense; and the invention consists in the peculiar construction of the gun relative to its air-induction conduit and means for hanging the gun to permit of adjusting its elevation, all as hereinafter fully described, and pointed out in the claims.

In the drawings forming part of this specification, Figure 1 is a side elevation, partly in section, of a pneumatic gun and co-operating mechanism constructed according to my invention, said gun being represented in said figure as located in a protecting-inclosure, the latter having its forward end protected by a movable shield, the said shield and inclosure being shown in section. Fig; 2 is a rear elevation of the gun, showing its inclosure in cross-section. Figs. 3 and 4 illustrate, in perspective views, details of the construction of parts of the gun hereinafter fully described. Fig. 5 is a plan view of the said gun inclosure and shield and a portion of the deck of the boat 011 which the latter are located, said shield having its rear upper portion broken away, thereby showing a top plan View of the breech of the gun and its supports. Fig. 6 is a side elevation of the gun and its operating mechanism.

In the drawings, A indicates a portion of the deck of a boat, and B the hold of the boat, in which the below-described pneumatic gun and its operating mechanism may be mounted. It is obvious, however, that said gun may be mounted in like manner in a fort or any other suitable place for purposes of defensive or offensive warfare, it being understood that wherever said gun is located there will be provided suitable engines and air-compressing mechanism for supplying said gun with air under a high pressure for the purpose of discharging projectiles therefrom. V

. therefor.

. The said pneumatic gun consists of the breech-piece 3, cast, preferably, from steel or gun-metal, having a cylindrical body 4, in which is screwed the breech-block 5 and in its opposite end the gun-tube 6, and a hollow cylinder 7 extending at right angles to said cylindrical body 4, which, together with a solid metal cylinder 8, (excepting a transverse perforation a therethrough,) constitute the rolling support for the breech of the gun, in place of the trunnions usually provided The said hollow cylinder 7 has an opening 0 through its lower side and a similar opening e through its upper side, (said openings c and e being about midway between its ends,) which extends from the interior of the cylinder '7 through the side of the cylindrical body 4, communicating with the interior of the latter and from the latter with the said gun-tube 6, which is screwed or otherwise secured thereto. The operative position of the said cylinder 8 is within the cylinder 7, as shown in Figs. 1, 2, and 5, and when so placed the perforation a through it transversely registers or is in line with the said openings 0 and 6 through the opposite sides of said cylinder 7, and on the opposite ends of the said cylinder 8 project two short bearing shafts or studs 9, which support, in connnection with the trusses or frame-pieces 10, of heavy metallic construction, the breech portion of the gun, the said shafts or studs 9 entering proper circular perforations in said trusses, as shown. The said cylinder 8 and hollow cylinder 7 are so fitted, the former within the latter, that the breechpiece 3 and the gun-tube connected therewith may have a suitably free oscillating movement on said cylinder 8 to provide for the requisite elevation and depression of the gun, the said cylinder 8 being so fixed in the trusses 10 and by its connection with an air-conduit, as below described, that it is perfectly rigid and can have no oscillating or rocking motion whatever.

Figs. 1, 2, 5, and 6 illustrate in various positions the breech of the gun, the said breechpiece 3, the cylinder 8, and the said supporting-trusses of the gun in assembled and operative positions. A tube 12, for conducting compressed air through the said cylinder 8, and thence through the said opening e to the interior of the breech-piece 3 of the gun, is screwed intoor Otherwise secured to said -cyl-' inder, the said tube 12 being secured to the cylinder 8 after the latter shall have been placed in the hollow cylinder 7 by passing the end of said tubethrough the opening 0 in.

the under side of said cylinder 7, the latternamed opening being made somewhat larger than the external diameter of the tube '12,- in

order to permit the cylinder 7 and the breech piece of the gun to have the necessary oscillating motion-onthe cylinder 8; but this-mo tion is never sufficient to materially interfere with the area of the air-conducting passage 6 above mentioned, through which air passes to the interior of the said breech-piece.

Compressed air for discharging 'a projectile 1 from the within-described gun is conveyed from any suitable air-compressing mechanwith said tube 12, as shown.

. of said box, the said valve being'shown in a position in Fig.1 which obstructs the pas sage of compressed'air from said conduit D through the valve-box and the said conduit 16 and tube 12 into the gun, said valve being held in that position prior to the dischargei oft'he gun by a brace 21, pivotally connected. tothe end ofsaid Valve-box or other fixed point, and having one end engaging with'said valve-stem 20, as shown, whereby the valve is retained in the above-mentioned position." The said brace 21 is attached to the end of a lever 22 by a link I), said lever being pivotally hung to a fixed part of the boat or other place, andhaving its free end extending under one end of the gun-shield below described,

whereby by the dropping of the end of said shield against the lever 22 said lever is moved j to the position indicated by'dotted lines in Fig. 1, and the brace 21 is disengaged from the valve-stem 20, thereby permitting the valveto slide in its box and permit com- The; said gun-inclosing shield or housing 23 con; sists of a strongmeta'llic construction, of substantiallysemicircular form 'in cross-section, secured in a fixed position over said gum} whether upon the deck of a boat or 'els'e-j where. Said inclosure'23 is open at the rear; end 'to afiord conveniences for loading said gunthrough the breech with any suitable,

pressed air to pass freely to the gun.

highly-explosive shell. 'Said inclosure 23 is open at its forward end, and to protect the lastnamed'open end of the inclosureandthe gun from inj'ury'from shot or s'hellfired toward the gun ashield 24, having preferablythe "form of a conic 'se'ction,as "shown in Fig. 5,'i"s'suitably1 pivoted at dto the deck A of the boat or other j suitable place, and 'from said pivoted point; said shield extends normally in an upwardlyinclined direction to the plane of the upper side of "'saidinclosure 23,'as shown in Fig. 1. To the upper or free end of said shield 24 there pends a lip or apron 25, which when said shield is in its normal position, as shown in Figs. 1 and 5, covers andqprotects the front end of said inclosure 23 and the muzzle of the gun, thus fully protecting the parts and things so covered from damage, as aforesaid, for any shots striking the inclined side of the shield 24 would be thereby givenan upward flight without producing any material damage. The said lip or apron 25 of the gun shield 24 extends or hangs from the end thereof adjoining the open end of the inclosure 23 through an opening in the deck A or the floor of the place where the gun is located, the lower end 'of said lip having 'apos'ition normally opposite a metallic abutment 26, which is fixed to said deck or floor. The free end of said gun-shield 24 is held in its upward normal "position (shown in Fig. 1) by a sliding bolt 27, supported under said deck'or floor in a horizontal position, as shown, one end thereof passing through said abutment 26 and entering a socket in said apron 25 of the gun-shield, whereby the latter is held in its said upward normal position.

The saidgun is adapted to be discharged by means of a cord or chain 29, which is pulled by an operator, one end of which cord is attachedto the'end of a lever 28, which is pivotally attached to said floor or'deck and with which said sliding bolt is connected as shown. Upon pulling the cord 29 the'bolt 27 is drawn out of engagement with the apron 25, letting the free end of the shield 24 drop to the position indicated in dotted lines in Fig. 1, thereby uncovering the forward endof the inclosure 23 and 'the muzzle of the gun, striking one end of the pivoted lever 22, lifting its opposite end, and thereby the brace 21, out of engagement with the valve-stem 20, and permitting the pneumatic pressure through the conduit D to act, as aforesaid, to

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admit compressed air to the gun, whereby the requisite pneumatic force is applied behind'a projectile in the gun to discharge the same. Said projectile may be provided with any suitable percussionfuse to cause its explosion upon striking an object. I

The said gun, having. the above-described oscillatorymotion on the fixed cylinder '8, may have its muzzle elevated or depressed by any suitable mechanism, one means for elevating the gun being shown in the drawings, which consists of a pumpm, having a suitable connection with a cylinder 2, the latter and the pump being supplied with anysuitable liquid, a piston y, "having a movement in said cylinder '2 induced by the movement of said liquid,

and a connection between the piston y and the gun, as shown, whereby the movements of said piston are imparted to 'thegun. Said pump is operated by a hand-lever it"oi' other 'suitable means. V, v

The abovedescribed construction of the breech-piece of the gun and its supporting cylinder 8, together with the trusses or framepieces 10, the latter being, as shown, firmly bolted to the deck and the lower part of the hold of the boat or to other fixed objects, con' stitute a rigid and strong support for the gun under all conditions of service. Furthermore, the cylindrical construction of that portion 7 of the breech-piece which almost entirely envelops the circumference of the cylinder 8, provides such strength of parts for the resistance of air-pressure as obviates the danger of the leakage of air under great pressure when it is admitted to the gun as aforesaid, and the said breech construction is of such a nature that its cost, as compared with similar constructions heretofore produced, is greatly reduced.

In my application, Serial No. 312,322, filed May 27, 1889, I show and claim substantially the same shield, tripping, and firing mechanism herein shown, but not herein claimed.

What I claim as my invention is- 1. A breech-piece for a pneumatic gun, consisting of a cylindrical body to receive the breech-plug and to which the rear end of the gun-tube is connected, a hollow cylinder on CAD has an oscillating motion, supports for cylinder 8, and an air-tube conducting air through said cylinder 8 to said body, substantially as set forth.

2. Supporting devices for guns, consisting of fixed parallel frame-pieces 10, a non-rotatable cylinder having an opening therethrough, and a shaft-like projection at each end entering said frame -pieces, combined with a breech-piece having a cylindrical body, to which the gun-tube is attached, having a hollow cylinder thereon at right angles to said body, and an opening between the cylinders of the breech-piece, said hollow cylinders being fitted to said non-rotatable cylinder and having an oscillating motion thereon, substant-ially as described.

RICHARD J. GA'ILING.

Witnesses:

WM. S. BELLOWS, H. A. CHAPIN. 

